The Telegraph: West must build prison walls around Russia in 2025, former UK defense chief urges

After nearly three years of full-scale war, the West must finally isolate Russia—lock it in “prison bars of its own making,” says former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, The Telegraph reports. According to him, despite sanctions, Russia continues to act as though nothing has happened.

As of 14 January 2025, the EU is preparing to implement its 16th sanctions package against Russia, set to be adopted on 24 February 2025, which marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, since 2022, Moscow has learned how to evade economic measures and purchase needed components to produce weapons for its war against Ukraine.

Wallace says that there are still many wealthy supporters of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Europe and America—in private schools and capitals.

He writes that popular British brands are still sold in Moscow, and Russia still has the ability to operate a “shadow” fleet, exporting oil, cutting cables, and engaging in smuggling.

“So, in 2025, we should make sure the West starts building the prison walls high. We should patch the holes and lock the doors. We should also use our collective diplomacy to pressure such places as Cyprus, the UAE, and Switzerland to clamp down on the playgrounds of the Russian elite,” said Wallace.

He also stated that Putin, in his 25 years in power, has brought Russia to a worse state than it was before his rise. He sacrificed hundreds of thousands of his citizens for his own ego. He abandoned the rule of law, persecuted his opponents, invaded other countries, and waged subversive warfare against the West.

“The result, not surprisingly, is that Russia is a lesser, poorer, and weaker country than when Putin first took office,” said Wallace.

Now, according to the former British defense secretary, Russia is forced to kneel before North Korea in search of “cannon fodder” and before China.

The past three years have shown that Russia’s criminal and fascist regime goes far beyond a group of old KGB officers in the Kremlin. Wallace said that it turns out that ordinary Russians not only support the war but also approve of torture, mass killings, contract killings, and cyberattacks.

As in Germany under Adolf Hitler, Russia’s actions are possible only due to widespread approval from its citizens. The former British defense minister writes that most Russians abroad—in the UAE, Cyprus, or European capitals— still believe Putin is right.

When it becomes clear that Putin has no true friends, he will appear weak, and, like in any other organized criminal group, his days will be numbered, he concluded.

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